Jailbreak
by pinetree13
Summary: AU. Barnabas awakes a few days early and saves Victoria from the asylum.: Barnabas could see the obvious conflict going inside Victoria played out in her eyes. He knew that she so badly wanted to believe what he was saying, wanted to trust the words of the invisible entity that he knew must have been guiding her. However, he was a monster, and he knew she could see that.
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, I do realize that I am incredibly late as far as stories for this movie go, but I guess you could say that I was a little late in watching it. (No one told me how good it was.) Anyway, this is an AU that would take place near the beginning of the movie, after the backstory. In this story, Barnabas awakes a few days earlier, and Victoria's asylum is in Maine, not far outside of Collinsport. It's my first story for the movie, so I hope you like it!**

The darkness was heavy, almost palpable. Day after day, year after year, it surrounded him like a black ocean. But Barnabas Collins was used to this. For nearly 200 years he had remained still as the dead, unable to free himself from this miserable, lonely prison. By this point, time was just a blur for him, one decade indistinguishable from the next.

As he lay in his coffin he had an eternity to think. His first thought, of course, was always family. He constantly wondered what would remain of them when he awoke. Would they endure? Would they be well off? These questions seemed to arise particularly often, more often than the rest. If only he could be there to see them. If only he wasn't stuck in this wretched box. He was immortal now, and he could be using his eternity to help them, if only he could.

However, when these thoughts subsided from his mind, he was constantly plagued by the thought of his dear Josette. It was his fault she was dead, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't rid himself of the memory of her broken, lifeless body as he held her in his arms for one last time. He remembered the blood that flowed from the gashes in her body that were caused by the sharp rocks. He remembered the way her clouded eyes stared blankly back at him as he shook her and desperately called her name. And most of all, he remembered the guilt that stabbed at him like a knife once he realized what he had done. Of course, he was constantly telling himself that her blood was on Angelique's hands, but even as the decades passed, this feeling of guilt never quite subsided.

It was such a thought that was passing through his head when he was startled by a metallic _clang_ sound against the top of his coffin. Convinced that he was merely hallucinating again, as he had many times before, Barnabas thought nothing of it. However, it was a little harder to ignore when the noise came a second time. _Clang._ There was no mistaking it now; someone had finally found him! After nearly two centuries, freedom was finally within his grasp. It wasn't long now….

Upon testing the chains that bound him, Barnabas found that the metal was rusty and had grown weak with age. In one swift movement, he was able to force break through his bonds, thrust the coffin's lid into the air, and finally escape from his dreadful prison. The first thing on his mind was a simple, instinctive need: food. For him, this now came in the form of blood. And though he detested killing with every fiber of his being, Barnabas knew that he would have to kill to survive.

As he surveyed his surroundings, he found that he was in luck. Several stunned men in hard yellow hats were standing around, staring at him in awe. He silently apologized to himself, and then the feeding frenzy began.

…

In a matter of mere minutes, the bodies of all the construction workers littered the ground. Barnabas alone stood over them, casting a look upon them that conveyed the disgust he felt towards himself. "I'm terribly sorry," he said to the unhearing corpses.

However, he had lived with himself for nearly two centuries, and he told himself, as he had all those years ago, that he must kill to survive. Yes, it was just survival, nothing more.

So with that, Barnabas began to depart. He was very familiar with the area, even though it had drastically changed since he'd been gone, and he knew the way to his beloved Collinwood like he knew the back of his hand.

However, before he made it very far, a sound graced his ears, picked up only by the heightened senses that came with his condition. It was a sound that he had heard all too many times before, he was ashamed to say. It was a scream. Yet, it was not the same as those horrified, frightened screams that rose from the mouths of his victims; it was desperate, as if the person from whom it came had all but completely given up. For this reason, it made Barnabas cringe.

He now found himself faced with a choice: he could either continue on to Collinwood to assure himself of his family's endurance, or he could follow the desperate cry that seemed to pull him in like a magnet.

Collinwood was so close. He had spent so much time missing it, so much time dreaming about it, and now it was _so close._ But he couldn't go. Not yet. It felt to him as though some unknown force was pulling him in the direction of the scream, and he found himself unwilling to fight its attraction.

As he walked towards the noise, he expected to see thick forests, as had been there in his time. And while there were still many trees standing, the area seemed more open than he remembered it. Yes, many things had changed, and another such thing was the road that now snaked through the trees. The painted lines that ran through the middle of this road looked rather promising, so Barnabas decided to follow it, as it seemed to run in the direction he was going anyway.

He walked for miles on miles down this road, and hours began to pass. After a while, the trees began to thin, and through them Barnabas saw what he could only assume was his destination: a large, stone building with barred windows. There didn't appear to be any other structures nearby, so this had to have been where the cry came from.

He approached cautiously, wary of what he might find. As he moved in closer, more noises were audible. Several people within the walls must have been muttering nonsense. Barnabas could hear every word clearly, but none of it was of any importance. More people were crying. There were _so many _people crying. He listened carefully now, trying to distinguish who it was that had uttered such a desperate wail.

Finally, it came again, weaker now, as if to show that whoever screamed was trying to convince herself that she hadn't given up yet, though keeping hope was proving difficult. _Herself._ Yes, it must have been a girl, from the sound of the voice. And Barnabas' lifeless heart ached at the sound, almost as if the sound had been made by an old friend, someone he once knew.

Something had to be done. He hadn't been exactly sure about just what he would do until that point. But now it was clear: he would save her. Perhaps saving a life could be a sort of reparation for taking so many.

So Barnabas latched on to the wall and began to climb, as the cry had come from one of the upper levels. When he finally reached the barred window that led into the room that he suspected this unknown girl was in, he silently peered in.

Inside, a young woman sat in a strange padded room. She wore a white jacket that contained her arms, not allowing her to move them. Her head was down, her hair shielding her face from his view. But what was worst of all—worse than the padded room or the straitjacket—was the way she was crying. It was the most pitiful thing Barnabas had ever seen in his life. The way she hunched over made her look broken, hopeless.

Just then, her head shot up. Her eyes were wide, but she wasn't staring at him. She was concentrated on a point directly in front of her, as if she was listening intently to something another person was saying to her.

But Barnabas wasn't concerned with that. He was looking at her face, and what he saw stunned him to his very core: _it was her. _It was his beloved Josette. Now, he knew, of course, that his beloved had died when Angelique had caused her to plummet from the top of Widow's Hill. But the resemblance was uncanny. The look of determination that was slowly beginning to recolor her face was one that he knew all too well. Now he knew why he seemed to be drawn to this place.

At this realization, a gasp escaped from his lips, causing the woman inside to swing her head around to the window. Barnabas didn't even bother with hiding. How could he in the presence of one as beautiful as she?

This woman didn't appear to be frightened or alarmed. If anything, the sight of him seemed to help in raising her hopes. "Who are you?" she asked calmly.

Barnabas was caught off-guard for a moment, and the question jolted him from his dazed reverie. "My name is Barnabas Collins. You need not fear me, my dear, for I am here to rescue you from this wretched prison."

She seemed to turn over what he said, but after a moment, her hope began to fade once more. "There's no use. They'll know I'm gone. They'll find me."

Once again, Barnabas struggled to find the right words to console someone so despairing. "You need not worry about that. I will take care of everything."

"How can you?" As the tears began to show themselves once more, Barnabas could practically see the war that was playing out inside her. He had raised her hopes for one moment, just one brief moment, and now that her hope was leaving, it was as if the walls that she used as a defense were coming crumbling down.

"My dear, you need only trust me. I can assure your safety in escaping this miserable place, but you must first accept my assistance."

Her breaths were jagged now as she tried to hold back the tears that had not yet fallen. "But why? You don't even know me."

"It is true that I do not yet know your name, but it is a shame to hide away a creature as beautiful as yourself in a place as wretched as this."

She seemed to take a while to consider this, as if she was trying to pick a name for herself. He couldn't blame her, though. After all, he was just a stranger who had just climbed up a wall claiming to be able to free her. "Victoria. Victoria… Winters," she finally managed to say.

Barnabas smiled, seeing this as a sign of her submission. "Victoria Winters. A name so beautiful should be heard by all who can listen. And tell me, Victoria Winters, do you now trust me enough to allow me to free you from this prison?"

Once again, Victoria focused her attention on the wall in front of her for a few moments. With a small nod, she turned her attention back to Barnabas. "Yes."

This small indication of assent was all he needed to hear. Without any effort at all, he tore the bars from her window and allowed them to drop to the soft ground beneath. When he turned to offer his hand to Victoria, he found her pressed against the far wall of the room, eyes now wide with fear. The moonlight now shone brightly on him, illuminating the blood that still covered his face and hands. Barnabas realized that, after seeing how easily he ripped the bars from the surrounding walls, Victoria must have figured out what he was.

He talked gently, so as not to startle her any further. "You needn't fear me, my dear, for I do not come with any ulterior motives in mind. I must apologize for my appearance and also for my nature. You see, I was cursed by a witch to be a vampire for all eternity. However, you must know that I mean you no harm. I only wish to help you."

Barnabas could see the obvious conflict going inside Victoria played out in her eyes. He knew that she so badly wanted to believe what he was saying, wanted to trust the words of the invisible entity that he knew must have been guiding her. However, he was a monster, and he knew she could see that.

After what felt to Barnabas like an eternity of consideration, Victoria finally replied, "Just tell me what will happen next."

Once again, he found himself unable to speak. He hadn't really thought past breaking her out yet. As soon as he saw how similar she was to his beloved Josette, every other thought escaped his mind. However, it didn't take him long to come up with an answer. "Before I set my mind to rescue you, I had been determined to find my way back to my beloved Collinwood. If my family endures, they should welcome me back with open arms. If this be the case, I will be able to offer you a position at the manor. I can provide you with anything you could possibly need. Should you change your name, no one would ever find you. Even in the case that they did, I could offer you protection."

He could see that she was slowly warming up to this offer. He was so close now.

"But how can I be sure that you mean what you say, that you won't just kill me the minute I take your hand?"

Barnabas knew that this would be the final proof. She would gladly go with him if only he could somehow prove his intentions. In a move that he hoped wouldn't be too bold, he climbed through her window and stepped onto the padded floor that lined Victoria's room. Instead of flinching away, though, she stood to face him, still wrapped in the straitjacket.

"Allow me," he said, reaching out to her. She cautiously turned and allowed him to undo the bindings. Before long, the jacket fell to the floor, and Victoria was free. "You see," Barnabas said quietly, "I mean you no harm."

Now he offered her his hand, willing her to know that every word he said was true. Finally, she placed her hand in his. For a moment, her eyes were fixed on their hands, and when she finally looked up to meet his eyes, hers held tears once more. "Thank you," she whispered, clutching his hand more firmly now. "Thank you. For all of this."

"My dear," Barnabas said as he led her over to the window, "you must believe me when I say that it is my deepest pleasure."

After climbing out the window himself, he offered Victoria his arm, carrying her down the asylum wall. Once they were back on the ground, Barnabas led her hand-in-hand down the road that he had followed in order to get there, knowing that in a couple short hours they would arrive at his home, the place he loved most in the world: Collinwood.

**Reviews are lovely!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry it took so long to update. I'm still unsure about how far I'm going to take this story, but I guess I'll figure that out as I go along.**

**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is my writing.**

By the time the Barnabas and Victoria reached Collinsport, the town was asleep. All the theaters and taverns that had been brightly lit only hours before were now dark and empty. A few shadowy figures still walked the streets, but that wasn't out of the ordinary.

Victoria looked around her as though this shabby fishing town was the most magnificent place in the world. The last time she had seen the outside world as she saw it now was when she was very young. And Barnabas couldn't blame her when he saw her reaction. After all, he himself was just as stunned as she. When he had lived here there had been no glass orbs that held fireless light. There had been no metal contraptions that traveled on four rolling wheels. But as he took all these things in, he was learning, adapting.

As he led Victoria towards Collinwood, he realized just how worried he seemed to be. What if his beloved home no longer stood? What if his family line had ended long ago? He forced these thoughts down, just as he had a thousand times, only allowing himself to think about the positive: no matter what, he had Victoria.

Finally, though, they stepped in front of the large gate designed to keep out trespassers. It didn't appear to be locked, so Barnabas carefully pushed it open, trying to make as little noise as possible so as not to cause a disturbance.

In a few short steps, they could see exactly what they had come fore: Collinwood. The house still stood. Granted, it was nowhere near as grand as it had once been when Barnabas had lived in it, but the important thing was that it was still there. He let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, my beloved Collinwood. What have they done to you?"

Victoria glanced up at him. "This was where you used to live?"

He answered her without taking his eyes from the building. "Indeed. Although when I resided here, it was much more… imposing. The years have not been kind to it."

She considered this a moment, trying to find the words to describe what she was thinking. However, all that she came up with was, "I think it's beautiful."

Slowly, Barnabas tore his eyes from the building to smile slightly at Victoria. "You have an excellent eye for beauty, my dear." She smiled graciously back at him, and for a moment he allowed their eyes to lock. Even her _eyes_ held the same depth as Josette's. He blinked to clear the haze that began to fog his mind. This was not the right time. "Come," he finally said, leading her up the drive that led to the house.

As they approached the front door, Barnabas paused, turning to look at a small patch of pumpkins from which there came unintelligible mumbling. Upon examination, he found a man lying among the gourds, very drunk and barely conscious.

"Explain yourself, drunkard!" Barnabas called. However, the man only opened his eyes to see who was addressing him. Seeing that it was no one familiar, he ignored the two of them.

Barnabas realized that mere words would get him nowhere, so he held out his hand, revealing a trick that he had mastered long ago. "Arise!" At once, the man did as he said. Victoria stared from the drunkard to Barnabas in amazement. "Excellent," he smiled. "Now, pray tell me what year it is."

The man's gaze was blank. "Uh… '72. No, wait, '71. Uh… yeah, 1972."

Barnabas's eyes grew wide. This meant that he had been asleep for nearly two centuries. However, he repressed this thought. That was a problem for another time. "And the Collins family… do they endure?"

"Yeah. There's four of 'em."

He let out another deep breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Thank heavens. Now, you will be my servant until such time as I release you. Understand?" The man nodded. "Excellent." A snap of his fingers broke the trance.

"What's first, master?"

"First," Barnabas began, "you will take care of Ms. Victoria Winters," he said, motioning for her to step forward. "You will see to it that she is properly fed and clothed, and then you shall offer her a position here at Collinwood."

"Great," mumbled Barnabas's new servant. "Elizabeth's been lookin' for a new governess anyway."

"Once you have done as I have said, you will clean me and introduce me to the master of this household, understood?"

"Sure thing, master," he intoned, beginning to lead the way into the household.

…

Soon the Barnabas and Victoria stood hand-in-hand again, now in fresh clothes, none of which were stained with blood anymore. In his other hand, Barnabas held his beloved cane, the very one that he had been buried with.

As they were shown through the house, the two of them were only barely listening. While Barnabas's mind began to flood with all his near-forgotten memories of this place, Victoria was focused on something different. Above the fire hung a painting depicting a man that bore a remarkable resemblance to the man whose hand she now held. Silently, she detached herself from him and made her way toward the painting. She was so enthralled that she didn't even notice the children sitting on the furniture positioned in front of the fire.

Once Barnabas noticed that Victoria had trailed off, he moved toward her, following her gaze. "Ah, yes. Magnificent, isn't it? Worth every hour I spent posing."

As soon as Victoria turned to remark on it, she noticed the small audience of two that was watching them. She lowered her voice so that only he could hear. "That's really you? You really are… immortal, then?"

He answered in the same lowered tone. "I'm afraid so." At this, he turned to face the children, who had noticed the resemblance to the painting immediately. "Tell me," he said, addressing the man whose name he had discovered to be Willie, "when did we start allowing women of the night on estate grounds?"

When Willie didn't answer, the young girl that he had glanced at said with a sneer, "And you are you?"

"My name is Barnabas Collins, and this is Ms. Victoria Winters. We plan to reside here for the time being."

Victoria smiled and nodded. "How do you do?"

The boy, who seemed to be much more excited, spoke up now. "My name is David Collins, and this is Carolyn," he said motioning to her. "Are we related?"

Barnabas smiled down at the lad, charmed by his enthusiasm. "Distantly you might say."

David smiled at Victoria and addressed her now. "Are you here to be our new governess? My dad told me we would need to hire a new one, but I wasn't sure. They never stay for long."

Before she could answer, Carolyn cut in. "That's probably because you're a loony."

"Carolyn," called an echoing voice from the top of the staircase behind them. "What have I told you about using that word?" Carolyn rolled her eyes, but remained silent. "As for you two," this unknown woman said, indicating Barnabas and Victoria, "stay away from these children for the time being."

Victoria nodded, slightly embarrassed, before taking a small step away from the children and towards Barnabas, reaching down to take his hand once more. Barnabas's smile at this was small and almost imperceptible, but it was still there. After nearly two centuries he had been lucky enough to find a woman who might as well have been an incarnation of his dear Josette. It was no small thing that he should win her favor, and to him, this simple gesture of affection was celebrated as a major victory in his head.

All this flashed through his mind in only an instant, though, and he was now ready to address the woman whom he assumed to be the master of the household. "And might I ask who you are, madam?" he called up to her.

"My name," she answered, beginning to descend the stairs, "is Elizabeth Collins Stoddard."

**Like I said, I don't know how long I'll go with this. This may or may not be the last chapter. Also, I tried to keep at least some of the dialogue from the movie, but I know not all of it is exact. If you have a moment, please tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I decided to write another chapter, since the last one seemed to turn out pretty well. Thank you to everyone who's favorited/followed/reviewed this story or is reading it at all!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Shadows, as cool as that would be. I only own my writing.**

Elizabeth ushered Barnabas and Victoria away from the children and into a fairly large room that housed a marvelous fireplace, the contents of which were currently casting a fiery glow across the walls. On various tables sat pictures, which caught Barnabas' attention at once. All appeared to depict members of the Collins family. To him, this was sufficient evidence that, although the physical wellbeing of the household was deteriorating, their sense of family held strong.

"Now, why don't you tell me who you are," Elizabeth said after closing the door behind them.

Victoria, who was still gripping Barnabas' hand, glanced up at him, giving a silent cue to proceed with their introductions. Consequently, it was he who spoke. "My name is Barnabas Collins. I've been… gone for many, many years, but I have finally returned to restore the honor of my beloved family. I bring with me Miss Victoria Winters, who has been promised a position in your household."

Elizabeth raised one eyebrow, crossing her arms as she did so. "Oh really? And who, might I ask, promised her this position?"

"I did, Madam," Barnabas answered after a short, uneasy pause.

"Well, Mr. 'Collins'," she said with a disbelieving tone, "I'm afraid that you have no authority to be promising positions to anyone." Barnabas opened his mouth to protest, but she continued. "However, it just so happens that I've been looking for a new governess lately, so I'm willing to make you a deal. If you can somehow prove that you are in fact a member of this family, then I'll gladly give the position to Miss Winters."

"And lodgings within the manor?" he asked skeptically.

"We can arrange rooms for both of you," she confirmed with a nod. "That is, if you can prove yourself first."

"Very well," he answered, dropping Victoria's hand to wander around the room, cane in hand. She looked a little uneasy, so he tried to give her a reassuring look, adding a small nod for good measure. As he took slow, calculating steps, he addressed Elizabeth. "Tell me, what do you know of Barnabas Collins?"

"Just legends. It's been said that he went insane, claiming that a witch had turned him into a vampire." She said all of this in a tone that suggested that she was sure that everything she said was pure myth.

"And what of his death?"

"Barnabas—" Victoria cut in. She knew that he was only trying to prove himself, but she had a feeling that revealing himself as a vampire might not be the best decision.

He sensed her hesitation and fixed her with another reassuring gaze, pausing as he did so. "Trust me," he said. After a slight pause, she nodded, allowing Elizabeth to answer him.

"I can't remember off the top of my head," she answered, still refusing to believe him.

Barnabas began to take slow steps once more, stopping in front of the grand fireplace. "That, Madam, is because he never died." With this, he jabbed his cane into a small hole in the floor, turning it with two swift motions of his wrist. Behind him, the fireplace began to transform, opening to reveal a dark passageway. "I am Barnabas Collins," he stated simply. "And yes, I am a vampire. But as I have already explained to my dear Victoria, no one under this roof need fear my accursed nature."

Although Victoria was stunned at the revelation of the secret passageway, Elizabeth was understandably far more astounded by his confession. However, it was not her reaction that Barnabas was watching. Throughout this entire proclamation he had been staring at Victoria, waiting for… well, he wasn't exactly sure what. Maybe he had expected her to awake as one does from a reverie, to come to the realization that she hadn't been hallucinating before, and that he was, in fact, a vampire.

But nothing of the sort happened. She did not back away slowly or run out screaming or gasp in horror. She simply stood there and stared wide-eyed for a single moment at the now deformed fireplace. After the initial surprise had faded, she turned her eyes to Barnabas, who had been as still as a statue during that time. Seeing his apparent unease, she offered him a weak smile, which he returned with relief.

When at last he spoke, he was not looking at Elizabeth or gauging her belief in his story. His eyes were locked on Victoria. "Shall we?" he said, holding out an arm to motion to the passage.

Elizabeth was the first to enter, picking up a lantern that hung on the wall and lighting it using the still-burning fire. Barnabas pulled his cane from the veritable keyhole in the floor and held it in one hand while Victoria moved to regain her grasp on the other. They entered the passage together, and though it was fairly narrow, did not break contact with each other.

Victoria clung to Barnabas as though he were a sort of life preserver, as though simply holding his hand was enough to keep her from drowning in this unfamiliar world. For most of her life, she had seen nothing of the outside world but what she saw through the bars of her padded room. And then a man who claimed to be a vampire had appeared out of nowhere to save her, allowing her to become a part of what used to be his world. As strange and unusual as these circumstances were, though, she was comforted by the fact that much of what was happening was as foreign to Barnabas as it was to her. As they walked, he explained more of his background to Elizabeth, and if what he said was true, then that would mean that he had spent nearly 200 years locked in a box. She supposed that this world must confuse him as much as—or possibly more than—it did her. This in itself gave her a sense of unity with him, and although he was a monster, she couldn't help but find that she was drawn to him.

These were her thoughts as they walked. However, they were interrupted when the three of them came to what seemed to be the room for which this passageway was built. Barnabas led the way inside, making his way straight to a large medallion that hung in the back. He slipped it on as the others gaped at the riches that surrounded them. Every corner of the room was packed with all sorts of treasures: jewels, masterpieces, and enough gold to fully light the entire room when reflecting the light of the lantern that Elizabeth still held.

"You see," said Barnabas, "I do not come asking for money, rather, to supply it." After several continuous moments of stunned silence from Elizabeth, he pressed on. "Have I sufficiently proven myself to be who I say that I am?"

With a small shake of her head, she snapped back to reality. "Yes… of course."

"Excellent! In that case, I believe there is the matter of lodgings to discuss."

Reluctantly, she turned away from the treasure. "Right this way," she said a little sarcastically, moving to walk back through the passage.

Barnabas, who had broken contact with Victoria in order to slip on the medallion, again offered her his hand, which she graciously accepted with a soft smile. Together, they followed Elizabeth through the narrow passageway and out of the fireplace once more. After extinguishing the lantern and placing it back where it was found, Elizabeth nodded for Barnabas to seal the entrance once more. "Best keep this—all of this—our little secret, okay?" He nodded in agreement before turning his cane in the keyhole yet again to return the fireplace to its original position. "Come with me," she then said. "I can show you to your room."

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